Thursday marks the day where my grades begin to plummet and Sundays are finally once again reserved for something important: football.
The last couple years, being a Seattle fan has been rough. I’ve endured the Cougars'continued futility and watched the Mariners implode each season.
Out of all that rubble, the Seattle Seahawks have been one Seattle franchise with some success. They have been a perennial playoff team for most of the 2000s, with likeable players and recognizable coaches.
Well, I’m sorry to say, but those days are over. With the start of the season only days away, the pillow fight for the NFC West restarts once again.
The Seahawks secured the division last season with a lackluster 7-9 record with quality wins against such powerhouses as the San Francisco 49ers and the Arizona Cardinals.
The 2010 Seahawks were arguably the worst playoff team in history, but thankfully they snuck in the playoffs, defeated the Saints and had one of the best YouTube videos of all time thanks to Marshawn Lynch.
Fast forward one year, and Seahawks fans should be worried. Not only did they lose the quarterback who guided them to the Super Bowl in Matt Hasselbeck, but the team that most people knew is now mostly vacated.
In are guys like Zach Miller and Sidney Rice who have made an impact in the past, but are not likely to do so with Tavaris Jackson throwing them the ball.
Rice’s best season came when he had Brett Favre throwing him the ball, and frankly, Jackson has looked asinine this preseason. He makes me hurt a little bit every time I watch him.
The Hawks got bigger and slower, and they basically took this offseason and without making it public said "we’re going to try and draft Andrew Luck."
Around the rest of the NFC West, teams are really only going to begin improving. St. Louis has the best quarterback in the division already in second-year stud Sam Bradford.
Even Arizona got better, as they took the ball out of Derek Anderson’s hands and invested $30 million in Kevin Kolb. The 49ers still suck, but once they get a real quarterback, watch out for them, too.
The Niners are an interesting team, with first-year coach Jim Harbaugh taking control of a lackluster squad. As long as Alex Smith is under center, the 49ers honestly have no chance to win. It’s as simple as that.
Their defense got a lot better, but San Francisco fans should be scratching their heads at the decision to trade Taylor Mays for virtually nothing and instead signing Donte Whitner and Carlos Rogers, who both alienated their fan bases by their terrible play.
In all optimism, the 49ers are a four-win team this year. Sorry Niner fans, but Joe Montana isn’t walking through that door.
The Seahawks should finish third in the division with five wins and that’s just because they should be able to steal some games at home. Whitehurst will be the starter by week six after the Hawks start 1-4.
The Cardinals will take second at 8-8 and it will all be thanks to Larry Fitzgerald. He is primed for a huge season. I think he will win at least three games by himself when he goes for 150-plus yards and two scores.
Nonetheless, Kevin Kolb will be completely average in his first season as a Cardinal and fans will wonder, was it really worth it?
That leaves the St. Louis Rams as the champions of the NFC West. The best part of it will be that everyone will write them off after they start out 1-4.
The tough start will be invaluable experience for Bradford who feeds off of Steven Jackson and leads them to the playoffs at 9-7.
Another season means new storylines and breakout players, hopefully the Seahawks are "Luck-y" enough to lose all their games.
